Wairoa in Focus: They had to abandon their home of 53 years when floods raged through — now a trust has handed the keys back

The contrast in weather could hardly have been more profound.

Wairoa couple John and Lavinia Waihape were bathed in bright blue skies as they finally got back into the house that has been their home for 53 years — minus the year and 106 days they had spent booted out by Cyclone Gabrielle.

When they fled on the morning of February 14 last year, the flooded waters of the Wairoa River were rushing across the showgrounds nearby and submerging their neighbourhood in Waihirere Rd, not unlike that of March 1988 when Cyclone Bola turned its wrath on the community.

But, come the morning of May 30, 2024, it’s a fine and sunny morning, not a cloud in the sky, and after 15 months of living in a tiny temporary home known as a “pod”, they’re able to move back into the whare where they raised their family.

Time to sit down and relax: Lavinia and John Waihape on the deck on Thursday, returning to live in their house for the first time in 15 months since Cyclone Gabrielle flooding swept through part of North Clyde, Wairoa. Photo / Doug Laing

It came as Treaty of Waitangi post-settlement entity Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust marked the completion of its first home repair, at the same time calling for increased government support in social housing initiatives for the area.

Working with a Cambridge company the trust, which has a major priority in housing, had 72 of the tiny homes built and transported to Wairoa as emergency accommodation for those made homeless by the calamity.

But chief executive Lewis Ratapu says: “We needed 500 homes, and that was before the Cyclone.”

Thursday marked the successful completion of the first home repair under its home repair programme, a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to address housing challenges within the community.

Following a karakia, the trust ceremoniously handed over the keys to the couple, Lavinia Waihape welling with emotion as she thanked all those who had made it happen.

The emotional moment as John and Lavinia Waihape were welcomed back into their Waihirere Rd house on Thursday. Photo / Doug Laing.

When they made their way out of their home on the fringes of North Clyde on the morning of the cyclone, they were helicoptered to safety on the other side of the river.

But, with water flowing through the house, itself elevated half a metre above the ground, they didn’t know if or when they would be back.

Having reached the safety of the evacuation centre, they were found accommodation before the arrival of the pod that was placed on their property 4-6 weeks after the cyclone, but as for moving back into their own house, John Waihape says: “There was a lot of umming and ahhing.”

Protected to a degree by a wooden fence braced by its posts made from railway tracks after Cyclone Bola 37 years ago, and which survived Gabrielle unscathed, the house was eventually approved for repairs.

Builder Maurice Tipoki says the aim in repairing homes was to keep the houses as close to the original as possible, depending on the degree to which they had been damaged.

The trust had undertaken a commitment to repair at least 18 homes affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, ensuring warm, safe, and healthy living, where in some cases that had previously already been an issue.

Partnering with three Māori building companies, the repairs are being conducted “like for like” and are slated for completion over the coming months.

Trust chairman Leon Symes said: “It’s heartening to witness the first whānau move back into their repaired home after 15 months of displacement. However, much more needs to be done to address the housing crisis in Wairoa, particularly in light of the hundreds still displaced due to Cyclone Gabrielle.”

He emphasised the urgent need for new housing in Wairoa, citing issues of ageing housing stock, overcrowding, and the exacerbating impact of the cyclone, and calling upon the Government to prioritise Wairoa in its social housing initiatives, especially with the recent announcement of $140 million in new funding for 1500 social housing units in Budget 2024.

The trust has received resource consent to build 12 social housing homes, but construction won’t commence until they receive government funding approval.

“We need the Government to support the work we are doing to try and provide warm, dry homes for our whānau in need,” he said. “We have too many families who have been living in temporary housing or overcrowded housing because they have nowhere to go.”

Symes said Cyclone Gabrielle increased the urgency, complexity, and costs of planned housing projects, including challenges in getting people and supplies into Wairoa.

He said Wairoa “immediately” needed 150 new homes, and 500 new homes over the next 10 years to support growth, in part with the expected return home of Wairoa whānau as opportunities developed in the area’s growing horticulture sector.

“Our message to [Housing Minister] Chris Bishop is that even before Cyclone Gabrielle, Wairoa had an escalating housing crisis, punctuated by older, poor-quality housing and increasing unaffordability — which was holding back Wairoa’s prospects for growth and affecting the health and wellbeing of many Wairoa people,” he said.

More than 70 per cent of homes damaged by the district’s flooding were occupied by Māori, and more than 60 per cent of those were rentals.

“Investment in housing not only addresses immediate shelter needs, but also stimulates school attendance, economic growth and job creation within the community,” he said. “You only have to look at our current home repairs programme as an example of providing pathways to trades for rangatahi and whānau, fostering skill development and employment opportunities.”

Symes reiterated the trust’s commitment to addressing the housing crisis in Wairoa, emphasising the need for collaborative efforts between government agencies, community organisations and stakeholders to effect meaningful change and ensure a brighter future for all residents.

While Wairoa waits for news of the protection work to ensure the river does not go off course again, John and Lavinia Waihape are delighted they have back a home so that their family can visit. The pod sits at the front of the property, and they might be able to buy it for extra room.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.